Religious Americans Twice As Likely To Become Obese

Is this why mostly secular Europe’s citizens are so much skinnier than still religious America’s? Courtney Hutchison reports for ABC News:

Americans who are religious are more likely to be happy, healthy … and hefty?

According to research from Northwestern University, youths of a healthy weight who frequently participated in religious activities were twice as likely to become obese by middle age than their less-religious peers.

Even when controlling for race, sex, education and income — several factors that could independently be affecting likelihood of obesity, this affect remained. Researchers drew on data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, which tracked weight and a number of physical and behavioral variables, including religious involvement, in more than 2,000 men and women over the past two decades.

“We had previously found that those with high religious involvement were more likely to be obese [as middle-aged or older adults], but we wanted to follow people over time to make sure that people who are religious are more likely to become obese, not that people who weigh more are more likely to turn to religion,” said Mathew Feinstein, lead author of the study and an M.D. candidate at Northwestern University…

Would any of these religious peoples be Buddhists? Because Buddha is awfully fat.

DeepCough

Would any of these religious peoples be Buddhists? Because Buddha is awfully fat.

Robert Plant-killer

Your confused by the Chinese depiction of Laughing Buddha. The Buddha was likely neither father nor too skinny. He only ate one meal a day before 12 noon so was likely quite slender, a far cry from the corpulent image most are familiar with. He was also likely vegetarian.

lilyboosh

Besides, the fat dude is just one aspect of the Buddha, most depictions of Buddha are not as one would call it today “obese”.

5by5

Have you ever seen the prostrations that Tibetan Buddhists do? Makes the Catholic “stand up-sit down- fight-fight-fight” at Mass look like a rest cure by comparison. And they do that while walking in the Himalayas 3 miles high where oxygen isn’t exactly plentiful. Plus, monks don’t eat after noon.

Buddha is pictured as hefty in later life primarily because that was considered a sign of prosperity in the ancient world. But you can also find statues of him before he became enlightened when he was trying to reach that state through austerity, and he’s pictured basically as a bag of bones. He nearly starved himself to death trying to get there, before he discovered the Middle Way.

Balance, young grasshopper, balance.

Cheesefania

Buddha was probably as fat as Jesus was a bearded Anglo white guy. And Mohammed was invisible.

Alturn

While Christians may be encouraged not to smoke and some not to drink, no sect tells their followers to lay off the red meat. Non-Christians are more likely to eat less meat and trend more towards vegetarianism.

“Vegetarianism is the human diet of the future. Eating heavy red meats creates self-destructive habits by accentuating the animal instincts. Eating a lighter diet of vegetables, which can also include eggs, cheese and fish, increases a person’s self awareness. Look at America, the
biggest meat-eating country in the world, said the associate. They have a huge crime problem and an obsession with guns.”
– World Teacher Maitreya Maitreya through an associate as reported in Share Interenational

Alturn

While Christians may be encouraged not to smoke and some not to drink, no sect tells their followers to lay off the red meat. Non-Christians are more likely to eat less meat and trend more towards vegetarianism.

“Vegetarianism is the human diet of the future. Eating heavy red meats creates self-destructive habits by accentuating the animal instincts. Eating a lighter diet of vegetables, which can also include eggs, cheese and fish, increases a person’s self awareness. Look at America, the
biggest meat-eating country in the world, said the associate. They have a huge crime problem and an obsession with guns.”
– World Teacher Maitreya Maitreya through an associate as reported in Share Interenational

http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

correlation does not prove causation

5by5

No, but the idea that religion makes you fat is still pretty damned funny.

http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

I won’t deny you that one

Robert Plant-killer

Your confused by the Chinese depiction of Laughing Buddha. The Buddha was likely neither father nor too skinny. He only ate one meal a day before 12 noon so was likely quite slender, a far cry from the corpulent image most are familiar with. He was also likely vegetarian.

dirtyjohnny

it’s gotta be the communion wafers. i make signs for a grocery store for a living. last week a had to make a poster for a display of matzas. i was really tempted to use the slogan “50% less fat than the body of christ!”

dirtyjohnny

it’s gotta be the communion wafers. i make signs for a grocery store for a living. last week a had to make a poster for a display of matzas. i was really tempted to use the slogan “50% less fat than the body of christ!”

dirtyjohnny

it’s gotta be the communion wafers. i make signs for a grocery store for a living. last week a had to make a poster for a display of matzas. i was really tempted to use the slogan “50% less fat than the body of christ!”

5by5

Maybe, but it’s still bread. And bread makes you chunky.

ABF

I would like to disagree with this, but I managed to get up to 250 lbs as a Christian, and I’m now down to 209 as a skeptic.

ABF

I would like to disagree with this, but I managed to get up to 250 lbs as a Christian, and I’m now down to 209 as a skeptic.

http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

correlation does not prove causation

Dust

It’s all that meth that the athiests do…

Dust

It’s all that meth that the athiests do…

Anonymous

Besides, the fat dude is just one aspect of the Buddha, most depictions of Buddha are not as one would call it today “obese”.

Anonymous

Is it all religious people or mostly dumb american christians? I have a hard time believing the Buddhists/Hindus would be very fat.

lilyboosh

Is it all religious people or mostly dumb american christians? I have a hard time believing the Buddhists/Hindus would be very fat.

5by5

No, but the idea that religion makes you fat is still pretty damned funny.

5by5

Have you ever seen the prostrations that Tibetan Buddhists do? Makes the Catholic “stand up-sit down- fight-fight-fight” at Mass look like a rest cure by comparison. And they do that while walking in the Himalayas 3 miles high where oxygen isn’t exactly plentiful. Plus, monks don’t eat after noon.

Buddha is pictured as hefty in later life primarily because that was considered a sign of prosperity in the ancient world. But you can also find statues of him before he became enlightened when he was trying to reach that state through austerity, and he’s pictured basically as a bag of bones. He nearly starved himself to death trying to get there, before he discovered the Middle Way.

Balance, young grasshopper, balance.

5by5

Maybe, but it’s still bread. And bread makes you chunky.

http://www.facebook.com/ItsHowie HowardFerrer

NO NO NO! DONT ASK QUESTIONS! THE BEANSTALK WENT ALL THE WAY UP TO THE CLOUDS AND THATS WHERE IT WENT! NO! YOU CANT SEE IT! — when you use an invisible person in the sky as the answer to your questions, maybe you are lazy… or stupid. in either case, you should get up and explore and ask questions. im sure EXERCISING curiosity burns a whole lot more calories than zombie-like blindness… and it keeps you from getting a phallic-like applicator deep inside your rectum, filling you with a massive dose of obedient, easily manipulated sheep semen. maybe thats why they are so fat…

GBSS

NO NO NO! DONT ASK QUESTIONS! THE BEANSTALK WENT ALL THE WAY UP TO THE CLOUDS AND THATS WHERE IT WENT! NO! YOU CANT SEE IT! — when you use an invisible person in the sky as the answer to your questions, maybe you are lazy… or stupid. in either case, you should get up and explore and ask questions. im sure EXERCISING curiosity burns a whole lot more calories than zombie-like blindness… and it keeps you from getting a phallic-like applicator deep inside your rectum, filling you with a massive dose of obedient, easily manipulated sheep semen. maybe thats why they are so fat…

Anonymous

Eating your words is apparently loaded with calories.

Investinourftre

Eating your words is apparently loaded with calories.

Ironaddict06

Funny stuff. Attention New Diet craze. For the low price of $29.95 a month-Lose 30 pounds a month. We will teach all Religious people not to believe in a god. We guarantee your money back-if you don’t lose 60 pounds in 60 days, with your full coperation of not believing in a god.

Ironaddict06

Funny stuff. Attention New Diet craze. For the low price of $29.95 a month-Lose 30 pounds a month. We will teach all Religious people not to believe in a god. We guarantee your money back-if you don’t lose 60 pounds in 60 days, with your full coperation of not believing in a god.

Cheesefania

Buddha was probably as fat as Jesus was a bearded Anglo white guy. And Mohammed was invisible.

@@@

cardinal sin fail

@@@

cardinal sin fail

Will

I thought god was supposed to to fill that empty void not cheese burgers.

Will

I thought god was supposed to to fill that empty void not cheese burgers.

http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

I dunno man…Catholics might be the exception. Between dodging gropy priests and Catholic aerobics (sit, stand, kneel, sit, stand, kneel), they usually keep the pounds off…also…guilt/shame is very slimming.

I can definitely see Fundamentalism packing the pounds on, though…flopping around on the floor like a seizure victim while babbling ‘in tongues’ doesn’t qualify as exercise…it just makes for a great impression of a freshly hooked trout.

http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

I dunno man…Catholics might be the exception. Between dodging gropy priests and Catholic aerobics (sit, stand, kneel, sit, stand, kneel), they usually keep the pounds off…also…guilt/shame is very slimming.

I can definitely see Fundamentalism packing the pounds on, though…flopping around on the floor like a seizure victim while babbling ‘in tongues’ doesn’t qualify as exercise…it just makes for a great impression of a freshly hooked trout.

http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

I won’t deny you that one

Anonymous

Eat less bread and consume less sugar and go for hikes. Problem solved.

$4251815

Eat less bread and consume less sugar and go for hikes. Problem solved.